Of particular interest is a section on Coast Guard security oversights...with a link to Maritime Links Editor's Blog with this bit:
The Coast Guard is not looking at all aspects of maritime security- and the most irritating part is that they are overlooking the obvious. There is absolutely no security in the marinas and small vessels are not being policed. It is really apparent when you are navigating out of large cities like San Francisco, or when pulling out of the mouth of the Columbia. Trying to get past buoy #10 on the Columbia River is a nightmare, small vessels darting directly under your bow. All you can do is pray that you do not run them over. The Coast Guard does not see this as a problem? What is going to happen when the terrorists catch on to this? They will go rent a small boat, load it up with explosives, and drive it straight into the first tanker they find.We've certainly had our share of discussion of waterside security issues, including some expressed about Navy security over at Milblogs by CDR Salamander and by me.
UPDATE: And a relevant link Maritime Security: Mines, Small Boats of More Concern than Shipping Containers?:
Members of Congress should be more concerned about the threat of terrorists using mines and small boats to attack multiple U.S. ports and disrupt the economy, according to a U.S. Coast Guard expert.Sometimes Congress should back off and let the experts set the priorties.
Lawmakers should grant more funding to port surveillance to counter the threat, Guy Thomas, science and technology adviser for maritime domain awareness at the Coast Guard, said in an interview.
Instead, lawmakers are focusing port security spending on scanning shipping containers for a nuclear bomb, which most experts in the Coast Guard and intelligence community agree should be less of a priority than maritime domain awareness, he said.
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